Mention pelicans and most Americans think of our southern coasts where brown pelicans doze on pilings or dive for fish in offshore waters. But another native species, the American white pelican, breeds on lakes of the Northern Plains and Intermountain West. Larger than their southern cousin, white pelicans have a wingspan of 9 feet and are easily identified by their orange bills and a black fringe on their wings. Watching them soar above the plains, the sun reflecting off their white plumage, is a stirring sight indeed.
Highly gregarious, American white pelicans gather in breeding colonies of several hundred to thousands of birds (often in the company of cormorants), choosing barren islands on relatively large lakes; since they nest on the ground, these sites offer protection from coyotes and fox. Two eggs are normally laid and are incubated by both parents; however, infant mortality is very high (often related to weather extremes and storms) and only one offspring is fledged by most pairs (if successful at all). Adults may travel 50-150 miles from the breeding colony to fish on other lakes; unlike brown pelicans, these inland birds fish from the surface, usually working together to herd prey into the shallows.
By September, the white pelicans begin to head south, usually in flocks of 20-50 birds. On their way to wintering lakes and bays along the southern Pacific and Gulf Coasts, they stop to rest and feed at favored staging areas, where they may be seen in huge numbers. Though the majority of migrants remain west of the Mississippi, small flocks are regularly encountered in the eastern U.S. and, as their numbers continue to recover, their breeding range will likely expand eastward as well. Look for fall migrants anytime from mid August through November; spring migration is generally from February into May.
